Did you know that Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books were based on her real family and life experiences? That got us curious: Who exactly were the people behind the famous writer and her husband Almanzo?

1871

The Wilder family around 1871

Let's start with Almanzo's family. This is the earliest picture we have of the Wilders, and you can see a young Almanzo (who was born in 1857) in the back, second from the left. He was the fifth of six children born to James and Angeline Day Wilder, both of whom were farmers. They were fairly well-established in Malone, New York until 1870 when crop failures prompted them to move west to settle in Minnesota. Almanzo and his brother would later move to De Smet, South Dakota in the early 1880s to expand their farming operations.

And wouldn't you know it -- guess who else had recently moved to De Smet, South Dakota? That's right, Laura Ingalls! Hit "Next Photo" for the rest of the story...